Mystery of the History
by Justified Assassin
Summary: Naruto meets a girl with cat ears and a tail. Cat girl knows nothing of modern life. Tsunade has given Naruto the mission of teaching said cat girl about life,from bathing,to talking,to self defense. Apparently,Naruto has his work cut out for him.NarutoIY
1. Prologue:The Meeting

A/N: This story has been running through my mind for a while now, even though I have another story(which I've decided to stop.) This one is a Naruto/Inuyasha fanfic. Though I'm only going to use Naruto characters, except for Kagome. Anyway, for this story, the Naruto gang are now 15 years old, some 16, depending on the birthdays , and I think Kagome is going to be 16. For all the people who were maybe hoping for another chapter for my other story, I'm sorry but I quit that one. It was a waste of time, and I just have no ideas on how to continue it. Besides, maybe with this story I'll get more reviews! Whoever reviews first gets a hundred cookies!

Naruto had been pretty sure he had seen it all. In all his experience as a chuunin-level shinobi,  
he had encountered many weird, freakish and interesting looking people. There were people whose bodies mutate into various forms and were sometimes covered in tattoos, like Orochimaru's people from the Sound Village, and that shark looking dude, Kisame something or rather, who was an Akatsuki member and partner to Itachi, as well as Akatsuki member Zetsu,  
the walking humanoid Venus Fly Trap. Gaara, when he was over-powered by Shukaku, also fit into the freakish looking category, when his body had been half Gaara (who was pretty scary to begin with) and half demented looking sand racoon blob thing. Whatever it was. Orochimaru himself with the snake eyes and abnormally long tongue, and Kimimaru, with the bones growing outside the body thing, and a whole other assortment of unique and different looking people.

However, Naruto had been fairly sure that in all the assortment of unique and different looking people, he had yet to encounter anyone with animal ears and a tail.

'Well.' Naruto thought to himself as he lay on his back on the forest floor with a quivering form, complete with a pair of black cat ears and tail, sprawled on his front. 'I can now add this to my never ending list of Interesting Looking People.'

To Naruto, it was amazing how he just seemed to attract these types of people. All the freaks (not that he had anything against them, seeing as technically, he was one also) in the surrounding area of himself seemed to just migrate toward him, like he was the most important, freakish one of them all, and they all need to come pay homage to him. Though, most of the time their way of paying homage to their King Freak is dealt with kunais , shurikans, and the like.

So, when he felt the approaching chakra, he had put a hold on his bored meander through the forest, and whipped out a kunai in preparation to defend himself, all the while grumbling to himself as to why they had to attack him on the one day he had reserved for rest and relaxation.  
In addition to the kunai, he put up his mental defenses as well, prepared to defend himself,  
mentally as well as physically. So he waited, ready for whatever was thrown at him.

Ready for anything but the thing that was thrown at him, apparently.

What came from the trees was not a weapon, justu or evil person coming to harm him. It was a person, rather, a female, however she was not one of his dedicated enemies. He was pretty sure he would have remembered a girl with cute, furry cat ears and a slim, black cat tail.

He was also pretty sure that the girls' intention was not on attacking him, because she appeared to be in tears, big blue eyes glimmering, ears twitching, tail swishing anxiously back and forth,  
and small whimpers escaping her mouth.

Naruto had maybe a second to process all this before the girl rammed into him with the force of a charging grizzly bear, and the two were sent flying half-way across the clearing, hands flailing,  
hair streaming and tail whipping.

Which brings us back to where Naruto is now, laying dazed on the ground, with the cat girl laying on top of him, whimpering and clutching onto his green chuunin vest.

After a few minutes of Naruto sprawled gasping on the dirt floor, still winded, the girl slid off him, tucking her legs underneath herself, and proceeded to stare miserably at Naruto until he regained his breath. Once he did, he lay there for a moment, eyes closed, waiting to see if the flying head butt the girl had so nicely given him had mushed up some of his organs, and he would start throwing up blood until he died of blood loss or extreme internal injury. Unlikely, but with the pain he was feeling now, it could be considered a possibility. Once he felt bett-

Naruto froze in mid-thought. He had not just felt that. No way.

His fingers twitched, now feeling slightly cool and wet. He peeked one eye open, staring at the weird cat girl kneeling beside him.

And there, right in front of his astonished eyes, she did it again.

Kneeling forward, the girl put her face right next to his hand, and licked it.

Naruto snapped both eyes open, and sat up quickly, snatching his hand away from the startled girl.

'No way, what the heck is wrong with this weirdo?! Is she mentally retarded or something?'

Naruto gave her a quick, appraising glance, noting the cuts and bruises that covered her bare arms and legs. Both her knees were scarred and bloody, and her face was smudged with dirt and grime. Her black hair, blue when the light shone on it, hung in a long, tangled mess to her waist,  
and the huge, over-sized T-shirt she wore was ripped and frayed at the seams, and seemed to be more greyish-brown than actual white. Her tail was matted and muddy, and her ears, black fur with pink insides, were droopy.

Still, even though she was a mess, she didn't look retarded. Her ink blue eyes were filled with awareness and curiosity, among other things, and judging by her state of being, she had been out in the woods awhile now, a few days at least. No mentally retarded person could survive in the forest for that long, so she has to have some wits about her.

But, first things first, he would have to bring her to the village so she could be checked over.  
Tsunade-baasan was sure to find her an interesting specimen, what with the extra appendages and so on.

For all he knew, cat girl could be some kind of spy for some enemy nin. All the more reason to get her back to the village.

He sighed, and picked himself up, brushing off the dirt on his clothes. He looked down at the cat girl, who was staring up at him with wide eyes.

"Ano, miss, but I'm going to have to bring you back to the village, 'kay?"

The girl blinked.

'Hmm, that didn't work, let's try again why don't we.'

"Miss, umm...," he started, kneeling at eye level in front of her. "You're going to have to come with me. Do you understand, miss..." He trailed off, realizing he didn't know her name yet. He couldn't go on calling her miss or cat girl forever.

"Could you tell me your name miss?" Knowing full well that it was a waste of time.

The girl blinked again, her head tilting to the side cutely. As she did, a clinking sound and a glimmer of light reflecting off metal brought Naruto's attention down to her neck. There, he saw a metal chain, with a small rectangular piece on the front, almost hidden under the collar of her T-shirt.

"Eh, what's that?" Naruto muttered out loud, and mostly to himself, bending down and sticking his head directly under her chin, unaware of the discomfort this caused her. He was too curious about the engravings he saw on the rectangular piece of metal. Instead of some proclamation of love or friendship engraved in elegant handwriting, like he knew some of the females in the village liked to wear, a name was printed in strict, capital letters.

KAGOME

"Kagome, eh?" Naruto sat back up, barely missing the underside of cat girl's, now identified as Kagome, chin. He sighed, scratching the back of his head as he stood up.

"Well, Kagome, I'm going to take you back to Konoha, 'kay? You just follow me and I can get you all cleaned up before we go meet Tsunade-baasan!"

Kagome mewed in agreement, maybe deducing the meaning of his words from the tone of his voice, and ignoring Naruto's outstretched hand, started crawling toward the path leading to Konoha.

Naruto blinked, opening his mouth...before closing it. He wasn't going to bother asking. He just followed silently after her, pondering over the situation. He was pretty sure that the girl presented no threat to Konoha, and as of yet Kyuubi has not growled or demanded to kill her, so point for her. She seems to have passed whatever judgement Kyuubi always had for anyone, which was damn near unheard of. Kyuubi giving the girl his acceptance, or at least tolerance, so soon after meeting her was absolutely astonishing. Could it be that Kyuubi sensed a kindred spirit within her? Was it possible that this girl is a demon vessel like himself? If that is so, he would find out soon enough when Tsunade-baasan examined her. Then all the questions would be answered.

Except, Naruto, way back in the depths of his mind, had one nagging suspicion. Because if it turns out that Kagome is not a demon vessel as he hopes she is, then what other explanation is there? She couldn't be an actual demon, because if she was, then that means so were her parents,  
and her grandparents, and her great-grandparents, and there is no possible way that a family of powerful demons ( and Kagome is powerful, he and Kyuubi could easily sense that.) Could go undetected when the land they occupy is habited by so many shinobi.

So if she wasn't a demon vessel, or an actual demon, what other explanation is there? What other reason is there that she has a tail and cat ears and claws that no normal human being could be born with? The answer is she had to have been created like this, of course. Either when she was still in her mothers womb, or after her birth, someone had to have made her like she is now.

And who has the power to 'equip' people with inhuman attachments? Who has the mental perverseness and insanity to use conned children as his experiments and twisted creations?

Why, none other than the former Konoha genius citizen, now Hokage of the self-made Village of Sound, Orochimaru himself.

Booya people! Now, I know it's short, but this is just the prologue to see how people like this.  
Whoever reviews gets an honorable mention on my next chapter! And a cookie! However, I am warning you that the next chapter will probably be a long time coming. No excuses, I just take a lot of time, and things keep interfering. Then again, the beautiful spring weather may inspire me to work double time! Or not, but you can hope! Compared to my other story, I think my writing has improved, if only a tiny bit. If you could pretty please tell me of your thoughts on my story,  
advice, or even what you think you should happen in the story. I can't say I will definitely add it in, but I will take it into consideration, and who knows, your idea just might take place in the story! Anyways, thanks for giving my story a try, and if you like, please say so, and if you don't,  
either give a recommendation, or just go on your way. No flames, they serve no other purpose then to insult and hurt, and if you have nothing other to do with your life, then I pity you. Have an awesome spring! P.S If you review, I will read your story and review too! See, we both benefit! 


	2. Chapter One:Down in the Dumps

A/N: See, what did I tell you? The spring weather did help! Take that spiritwolf30! I SURE SHOWED YOU!!!Anyway just like I said all my reviewers get a cookie, and my eternal gratitude. Thanks goes to 2cool2readadictionary, spiritwolf30(although that 'sorta good at best'comment got on my nerves...) Hopelessly Hopeful, armybrat and Miss Mischief.! Love you all! 

CHAPTER 1:Down in the Dumps

Naruto trudged along the path leading to Konoha, Kagome crawling contentedly along beside him. It was maybe twenty minutes since Kagome came crashing into him, and, contrary to what Naruto expected, they were making good time back to the village. Kagome's chosen mode of transportation did not hamper them in any way, and Naruto believed that they would reach the village in another forty minutes. Of course, they could reach Konoha in maybe seven minutes if Naruto just picked up Kagome and ran, but he was in no mood to hurry. The sun is bright, the air is warm, and all around the first signs of spring were showing.

On the trees the leaves were budding, and here and there a spatter of new flowers-daisies, tulips,bluebells, crocuses-were just starting to emerge from the new grass. Even the birds have started to celebrate the beginning of April.

So now, just for the moment, Naruto wanted to bask in the peace and tranquility as long as he could, savoring the silence that was so hard to come by in the bustling village.

Kagome herself seemed to be more at peace then she was when he first met her, crying, upset,and obviously scared. Her crawl has lost the stiff, awkward look it had before, settling into a graceful, smooth loping movement that reminded Naruto of a panther, and he was pretty sure that not just anyone could pull that off.

So, for the rest of the walk, Kagome amused herself with the scenery, while Naruto walked silently, letting the sounds and smells of spring wash over him.

Some time later, the gates of Konohagakure came into view, and Naruto's exceptional hearing picked out the hustle and bustle coming from beyond the gates, as well as the scents of rich,savory dishes wafting from the restaurants and market place, with an underlaying smell of sweat,perfume and excitement. No doubt the sunny weather has put many in a cheery mood.

Naruto yawned lightly as he stopped walking, signaling Kagome to follow him as he moved into the forest right of the road.. Letting out a sigh as he stretched, he turned to Kagome.

"I don't really feel like going through an interrogation with the guardsmen at the gate as to who you are,"he explained, " So we'll just jump over the wall farther down from the entrance. That way we won't attract so much attention, and it's closer to my apartment anyway."

Once they were far enough away from the shinobi guarding the entrance, Naruto scooped up Kagome, and, pushing chakra to his legs, leapt up, up, up, and over, clearing the top of the wall by a few metres, and sailed down to the ground. Kagome squirmed in his arms, whipping her head this way and that, trying to see everything at once as they fell, not seeming the least bit scared at the height.

Naruto landed with a light thud in an alley, then lept behind a large garbage dump. He peeked his head out, peering down the shaded street to see if anyone had witnessed his grand(and somewhat illegal) entrance from over the wall. Seeing that the coast was clear, he placed Kagome on the ground, and knelt next to her.

"Okay, so here's the deal," he whispered to her conspiriously. "We're on a secret mission. We have to get to my apartment without anyone seeing us, 'kay? This village is filled with people who will probably be suspicious if they see you, and maybe a little scared. So, you have to be really quiet, okay?"

"Nya!" she said excitedly, and poked his nose.

"Right, then, get on my back. It'll be faster this way. Not to mention safer," he mumbled the last part, before he turned, kneeling with his back facing Kagome. He looked at her over his shoulder."Come on, get on my back,"he said, patting his back.

Kagome poked his back once for heck of it, then, giggling, flung herself onto Naruto's back,almost sending him face first into the ground, and wrapped her arms around his chest, legs around his hips.

Naruto stood up slowly, Kagome's head resting on his shoulder, and felt the nerves in his stomach jump. He wasn't used to anyone being this close to him, especially a girl. For her to be this close willingly sent a warmth through his heart. This was, sadly enough, the closest thing to a hug he'd ever had in his whole life.

He shook his head, wanting to get rid of these thoughts. It would only bring back feelings of loneliness, things he'd already accepted. Still, he couldn't keep the small grin off his face, even as he told himself that woolgathering on missions was something a chuunin like himself should never do. No way was he going to let an enemy sneak up on him unawares! Believe it!

"Naruto, what the heck are you doing in a deserted alleyway..."- Naruto let out a squeak and hurled a startled Kagome into the open garbage container, slamming down the lid just as Iruka rounded the corner-"... and who are you talking too..." he trailed off as he saw Naruto leaning nonchalantly against the garbage dump, no one else in sight.

"Oh hey, Iruka-sensei! What are you doing here?" Naruto said, trying to look surprised, which really wasn't that hard, considering Iruka just about gave him a heart attack.

Iruka lifted an eyebrow, eyes still scanning the alleyway. "Isn't that something I should be asking you? And I could swear I heard you talking to someone. Something about getting on your back, I think."

Naruto shifted slightly, still trying to look innocent. This is just the first obstacle in the mission.No problem.

"I was just dropping off my garbage, duh! What else would I be doing near a garbage dump?And I wasn't talking to anybody, you just imagined it. Old people do that a lot ."

Iruka snorted. "Whatever, just don't get into any trouble, Naruto. I have to go back to patrolling." He turned around, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to the garbage dump. 'Good thing he didn't get any closer,' he thought. 'Or else he would have heard the scratching. Poor Kagome, with her sense of smell, it must be horrible in there.'

"Oh yeah, and Naruto?"

Naruto eeped and spun around. "Y-Yeah?"

Iruka smiled, and scratched at his hair sheepishly. "We haven't gotten together lately, so I was wondering if you want to come with me to Ichiraku's Ramen Shop after I'm done? My treat?"

Naruto gaped. 'Ramen!?!' he screeched in his head. 'Free ramen?!? Why must Kami be so cruel!!! I can't go with him now! What about Kagome?' Mental Naruto sighed, but then straightened up, holding his fists in front of his chest. 'Okay Naruto, be strong, you can do this!  
Believe it!'

Naruto forced a grin, feeling his heart breaking. "Sorry Iruka-sensei, maybe some other time? I kinda have some really important stuff to do."

Now it was Iruka's turn to gape. "Y-Your turning down free ramen?!? Naruto, are you feeling okay? Do you feel sick? What is it, is it your head? Stomach? Is it bad? Here, I'll take you to the hospital, I'm sure-"

"Iruka-sensei I'm fine! Really! It's just that I have to meet with Tsunade-baasan, and stuff..."

"Tsunade-sama," Iruka corrected absently, still worried. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled, shooting a huge grin at him. "Never better, really!"

"Oh," Iruka said, clearly still doubtful. "Well, then, I guess I'll go..." he walked off, peeking at Naruto over his shoulder a couple of times.

Naruto waited until Iruka was out of sight, then let out a huge sigh. Walking over to the dump,he opened the lid and peeked in.

Kagome sat in a giant heap of garbage, potato shavings on her shirt, coffee grindings smeared on her legs, and what looked like a smushed up banana in her hair. Both hands were over her nose, and her eyes were watering from the stench.

"Oh great, that's disgusting," Naruto groaned. "Come on Kagome, let's get you out there."He reached in and pulled Kagome out, wincing. Kagome sneezed a few times, before burying her face in his neck, breathing shallowly. Naruto patted her back, feeling a bit guilty, even as he blushed at the close contact. He pushed off the ground, landing on the rooftop, and started bounding toward his apartment, grateful for the wind that kept some of the smell away from him.Kagome even turned her head forward, away from his neck, in order to take deep, long breaths of fresh air.

Naruto ignored the disappointment that caused, and forcefully shoved away the thoughts that hoped Kagome would rest her face on his neck again.

Taking another leap, he landed on his own roof, and opened the window to his bedroom. Prying Kagome off him, he dropped her gently onto his bed, then went through the window himself,pausing to close and lock it, and to make sure the ratty grey drapes were covering as much as possible. With that done, he plopped down next to Kagome.

"So, Kagome," he started, rolling onto his stomach, resting his head in his hands. "How do you like my first rate 5-star bedroom?"

Kagome looked around the messy room. Dirty clothes littered the floor, as well as some kunai and other weapons, and the white paint on the walls and ceiling were chipped and flaking. What rug that could be seen from under the clothes was an ugly grey-sprinkled-brown colour, and threadbare.

Kagome wrinkled her nose.

Naruto sighed. "Ya, I know, pretty pathetic, huh? Still, it's all I can afford right now. And it's not as bad as some people, right? So, I guess I should be grateful...Anyway how about that bath I was talking about, hmm? The plumbing still works, I think."

Naruto rolled off the bed and picked up Kagome. Wading through the clothes and junk he exited the bedroom and headed toward the bathroom just down the hall. He placed Kagome in front of the door. "Well, I'll leave you to it! Don't worry about wasting hot water, Tsunade-baasan handles the hydro bill."

With a pat on the head he headed for the stairs leading to the living room and the kitchen, and was half-way down before he realized that Kagome probably didn't even know what a bathtub was, let alone how to use it. He looked back, and sure enough there was Kagome still on the ground and playing with her tail.

Naruto turned around and trudged back to Kagome, wondering how the hell was he going to go about this. He was starting to think that the girl was much more trouble than she was worth .

Kagome looked up at Naruto gleefully, and held up her tail for him to stroke.

'Ah crap,' he thought as he caved in and stroked her tail, much to the delight of Kagome. 'It's too hard to be mad at something this cute.'

"Still," he said outloud, retracting his hand. "You'd be much cuter once your clean. But how the hell am I supposed to do this? It's not like I can just strip you naked and bathe you myself...Although..." he trailed off, before smacking his head. "No, absolutely not." He groaned miserably. "This is too confusing. I don't want to deal with this," Naruto wailed. Kagome,obviously excited with Naruto's dilemma, joined in with a loud "Nyaaa!"

Naruto sweatdropped. 'Girls,' he thought despairingly. Then it clicked. 'Oh! How could I have not thought of this sooner?'

"When in doubt, call Sakura," he muttered outloud as he headed toward the phone, Kagome still giggling on the floor.

A/N: Okay, I know, weak ending. Still, at least I updated in only one week, right? That wasn't to long, I hope. Anyway, I want to point out that I used the word 'conspiriously', which, apparently isn't a real word. But also, apparently, the only form 'conspire' has is just that, 'conspire'. So,you guys will just have to accept that I made up a new word for the sake of the story. Hopefully,this chapter will bring even MORE reviews, because excuse me, but I sorta expected a bit more than 5 reviews from a story that's been read by about 140 different people. Call me weird, but come on. Still, that makes the awesome people listed at the start of the chapter even more special,  
and I am even more grateful to you for taking the time to review. Anyway, expect the 3rd chapter in a week or so, and remember, if you review my story, I'll review yours. Ta ta!


	3. Chapter Two:Cleansing

A/N: ...umm hi? Long time no see, huh? THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT!!!! I forgot to do a disclaimer for all the other chapter, so here it is. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND INUYASHA!!!! Anyway, I did warn you it would take a while, it's just that you were lucky the first few chapters. Anyway, this chapter really isn't the most exciting, but I decided that I had better just get a chapter out as soon as I can. Oh yes, and remember mentioning that Naruto lived in an apartment, but I also mentioned he has two floors. That was a mistake on my part, so just pretend he lives in one of those condo things. Now, I really don't know who Kagome is going to be paired up with, so I am now taking suggestions. However, even if one character has more votes than another, doesn't mean I will definitely do that pairing. Anyway, without further ado, I bring you the 2nd chapter... 

Chapter 2:Cleansing

Naruto sat impatiently on the stairway, keeping one eye on the hyper-active cat girl behind him,the other on the window that looked out onto the street, waiting for a certain pink-haired kunoichi to come into view. He was trying to vigilantly keep guard on the street below, but he found it was sort of hard when there was a crazy girl behind him intent on ripping his hair out.

Kagome, who had succeeded in occupying herself for the first five minutes after he had called Sakura, soon became bored and, crawling up to Naruto, had started tugging on his hair. Of course, he had tried to stop her, but he could have been pleading with Itachi for all it mattered.So, he resigned himself to Kagome's attentions, praying fervently that Sakura didn't decide to beautify herself before heading the eight block to Naruto's place. Knowing Sakura, that could take forever.

Still, for the sake of Kagome, Sakura had better hurry, because in a few moments he was going to snap. His scalp stung and ached, tufts of his hair lay on the carpet, and his nose was trying to shrivel up on itself, the stench of putrid garbage invading his nostrils. One more minute, just one more minute of this, and Kagome's cute, annoying bootie is going to find itself on a one way trip to heaven-

DING-DONG

Naruto was on his feet and halfway to the door before the bell had finished it's toll. He swung open the door, collapsed onto the ground, and started kissing Sakura's sandal-clad feet.

Sakura, hand still poised over the doorbell, caught completely off guard, stood stock-still on the doorstep, and didn't move until she heard the whispers and snickers coming from the passer-by's behind her.

She flushed with embarrassment, then anger. "Naruto," she seethed. "If you don't get up off the ground and into the house in two seconds flat, your going to find out how far my foot can go up your ass!"

Needless to say, Naruto was in the hallway pretty quick. Sakura stormed in after, and slammed the door shut, sending a searing glare at Naruto. She stomped up to him and whacked him on the head. "You had better have a really good reason for why you just embarrassed me in public, you jerk!"

Naruto whined, and clutched his already abused head. "Sakura, wait! I really do have a good reason! I do!"

Sakura crossed her arms and hmphed. "Well then, start talking mister."

"Actually, it'll be better if I show you," said Naruto, still wincing. He motioned for her to follow, and led her up the stairs. Kagome, he saw, was at the top of the stair case, right where he left her. 'This is it,' he thought.

He heard Sakura freeze behind him, so he stopped as well. Turning around, he tried to gather his thoughts so he could explain why there was a girl wearing just a T-shirt, looking like she had been thrown into the garbage(...) was in his house. Not to mention the tiny little detail of her having cat ears and a tail...

Sakura, Naruto noticed, was for once in her life speechless. Not to mention frozen. And Naruto was pretty sure she would have stayed that way had it not been for Kagome taking it upon herself to introduce herself.

Scampering down the stairs toward them, making Sakura let out a startled squeak, Kagome latched herself onto Sakura's legs.

Sakura, not braced for such a greeting, precariously teetered on the edge of the step,pinwheeling her arms for balance, and she almost fell, but Naruto grabbed her just in time.

Naruto held on for longer than was necessary, and sighed wistfully when he set Sakura straight.Even though he had given up on her, he still had a little feelings left over from the crush he had on her from when he was a genin. He was glad his feelings weren't so strong now, if they were he probably would have done something stupid with Sakura being so close to him. As it was,their closeness only provoked a brief twinge of the heart. Besides, now he realized that Sakura wasn't the type of girl for him. She was just a bit too material, and she had a fondness for giving him unnecessary (in his point of view) beatings.

Naruto realized he had been spacing out, and started removing Kagome from Sakura's legs.While it was adorable, and he was certainly glad that Kagome had taken a liking to her, Sakura was looking a bit uncomfortable.

Naruto got Kagome off her easily enough, seeing as Kagome seemed more interested in pulling Naruto's hair again. Naruto picked her up and held her as she buried her hands in his hair and tugged softly, her head resting on his shoulder as she looked at his hair as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Naruto felt a wave of warmth in his heart, and for a moment he wondered if this was what it felt like to have someone care for you. With that thought the warmth left abruptly, and Naruto held Kagome a bit more tightly.

"Naruto," Sakura said, a bit quietly, forgetting about her anger at Naruto. She sort of felt like she was interrupting something. And she definitely felt like she was missing something.

Naruto raised his eyes up to meet hers, and Sakura noticed with a start that his eyes looked sad, but then Naruto blinked, and he was back to his happy, hyper self, no sadness at all.

"Neh, Sakura, what is it?" he asked with a grin, and Sakura grinned back, deciding to forget about it. It was probably just a trick of the light, because this was Naruto, and Naruto was never sad without great reason.

"Well, you still haven't told me who the girl is," Sakura said with a shrug.

"Ah, well, this is Kagome, and she's the reason why I called you over here." Naruto said as he shifted Kagome to his hip, much like one would hold a toddler, and he and Sakura went to the top of the staircase to sit. Naruto placed Kagome between them, and she alternated between playing with Sakura's and Naruto's hair, while Naruto told Sakura how he met Kagome and his worries and suspicions about her.

Sometime later Sakura leaned back as Naruto finished talking. All through the story Sakura had been watching Kagome, and now, Sakura looked at her contemplatively.

Finally, after a few moments, Sakura shook her head. "I just can't see it, Naruto. I really don't think she's one of Orochimaru's people."

Naruto looked up from his hands, looking hopeful. "Really? But how can you tell?"

Sakura shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. "It's just a feeling, but it's really strong. I can't tell for sure, obviously, but I really think she's innocent. I mean, just look at her! If she was a sound-nin she would have to be an incredible actress!"

Naruto shifted around to look at Kagome, who was now chewing on a piece of Sakura's hair, before glancing back to Sakura, who didn't seem to notice yet. "How so?"

"It's just the way she moves! The little things, like her facial expressions, her actions, the...the aura she gives off, you know? It just...it just feels like it, okay?" Sakura ended a bit lamely, but she looked earnestly at Naruto, seeing if he understood.

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know what you mean..." Didn't he? He had felt it the first time he met her, that aura of innocence and happiness that surrounded her.

Naruto looked up at Sakura and smile, scratching the back of his head. "Thanks for saying that, I was really worried that she was an enemy. I was hoping she wasn't..." 'How true,' he thought. 'I never noticed until now how much I was hoping...' "Anyway, there's another reason why I wanted you to come over."

"Yeah?" Sakura grimaced, finally noticing that her hair was being chewed, and pulled her pink hair out of Kagome's mouth.

"Yeah. You see, when I was coming back here, I kinda had to throw her into a dumpster to hide her from Iruka-sensei, and...well..." Naruto trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"Ah," Sakura said, understanding. "You want me to give her a bath? I wouldn't mind, and I'm sure Kagome wouldn't either. Right Kagome?" She added, petting Kagome's ear.

"Nyaaa..." Kagome purred, pressing her head against Sakura's hand, looking blissful. Sakura and Naruto both giggled at the look on Kagome's face.

"Ma, Kagome your so cute!"Sakura exclaimed, standing up. She patted Kagome's head, and lead her to the bath. "Hey, Naruto!" Sakura called over her shoulder. "Could you go find Kagome some clothes she could borrow? Also, go make us something to eat. I'm hungry, and Kagome is too!"

The bathroom door slammed shut behind them, leaving Naruto looking miffed. "What am I, your servant?" he grumbled, but headed toward the bedroom anyway.

Inside the surprisingly clean bathroom, Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto. "Okay Kagome!" she said, putting her hands on her hips and facing Kagome, who was sitting on the floor in front of the tub. "We are going to get you perfectly clean, okay? And maybe..." Sakura mumbled, eying the mass of blue-black hair, before her eyes lit up. "Maybe I can fix your hair up too! This is going to be great, Kagome! It'll be like a sleepover!" Sakura squealed, looking positively delighted. Kagome of course didn't know what the heck Sakura was talking about, but joined in the squealing too.

In the hallway, Naruto looked at the bathroom door apprehensively. Carefully, he placed the white boxers and white T-shirt in front of the door, Quickly knocking on the door, he yelled out "Sakura, the clothes are in front of the door," before taking off for the kitchen.

Sakura poked her head out of the bathroom, and snatched the clothes off the ground before retreating back inside,

Holding the clothes up, Sakura gave them a disapproving look, and clucked her tongue, but she placed them next to the sink on the white counter. Kneeling next to Kagome by the tub, she turned on the hot water, adjusted it until it was pleasantly hot, and then added some bubble bath. Kagome watched in awe as the bubbles spread and rose, reaching over and giggling as she popped them. Sakura smiled at her, and turned off the water as it reached the brim.

"Okay, Kagome, we need to get your clothes off," she said, helping Kagome get out of her oversized T-shirt. Sakura blinked as she saw that Kagome had nothing else on underneath her shirt. 'Guess it only makes it easier for me,' she thought doubtfully, but she couldn't help wondering how on earth Kagome survived out in the forest with nothing but a shirt on. She also noticed how underfed Kagome looked, and the many cuts and scratches all over her small body. And she really was rather small, Sakura saw. She barely reached up to Naruto's nose, and Naruto was pretty small for a fifteen year old male.

Sakura's doctor side cringed, and she gently trailed her finger over a particularly nasty looking scar on Kagome's right thigh. It looked like it was made by a jagged and dull weapon, almost thirty cm long, and three cm wide.

Sakura sighed, but retracted her hand and helped Kagome into the bath. Kagome was thrilled, and splashed around enthusiastically, and Sakura smiled, and decided not to let it bother her. It certainly didn't seem to bother Kagome.

Half an hour later a scrubbed and cleansed Kagome sat on the edge of the counter, a big fluffy white towel wrapped around her. Once all the dirt and scum had been washed off her, she didn't look as unhealthy, Sakura noticed. Her skin was a tanned brown, making her scars less visible, and her hair throughly shampooed, conditioned, combed and trimmed, was lustrous and thick.The colour more obvious with the dirt gone, and unheeded by tangles it fell in soft curls and waves to well past her rear. Even her ears and tail seemed to shine.

Sakura sighed enviously, running her hands through the satisfied cat girl's hair, wondering at how soft it was. "Ma, Kagome, I had to work to get my hair like it is, and you wash it once after who knows how long of living like a wild animal in a forest and voila!"

Sakura poked her on the cheek, and Kagome giggled cheekily. "Ya, ya, laugh it up kitty,"Sakura grumbled, helping Kagome into the clothes Naruto brought. Sometimes it just wasn't fair how some people got all the luck. "Come on, I can smell food, and I'm sure Naruto is getting impatient."

As they went into the hall, the scent of beef stew hit them. "Ah, Kagome, doesn't that smell good?" She looked down, but Kagome was already halfway down the stairs. "Matte, Kagome! Wait for me!" Sakura yelled as she raced down the stairs, trying to catch up with Kagome. For someone who crawled, she certainly was pretty fast. Rushing into the small, cluttered kitchen,she found Kagome already sitting at the table, digging into a bowl of steaming, savory stew.

Sakura flung herself ungracefully onto a chair and shoveled some food into her mouth, sighing with pleasure. "You know, Naruto, for someone who eats only ramen, you sure are a great cook!Ma, and who knew washing Kagome would make me so hungry?" Sakura said happily after she swallowed.

Naruto flushed and grinned. "Ya, well, that's because I'm good at everything!" he said flippantly, even though he felt another surge of warmth. Only this time, as he, Sakura, and Kagome ate and talked, as Sakura tried to get Kagome to use a spoon, as the sky outside grew darker, this time the warmth stayed, and grew, and Naruto found himself hoping and wishing with all his heart that they could stay like this forever.

A/N: So, that's the end, hope was acceptable. Probably not, but I tried. Anyway, remember to tell me about the pairing you want, and what you think of my story! I'll review your story if you review mine!


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